The medium-sized collaborative robot (cobot) from Universal Robots is capable of manipulating a 12.5kg payload with a 1300mm reach, Wallwork Group said.
It will work alongside the company's skilled braze operators and has the ability to learn as it operates due to an embedded continuous improvement process.
“Cost-effective, high-volume vacuum braze components have been out of reach until now. Largely due to the amount of assembly and labour time required. This investment brings the advantages of vacuum brazing to components that were previously uneconomic to process. It also means we can develop the quality of customer products,” Group Director, Simeon Collins, said in a statement.
Preparing components for vacuum brazing requires great skill and attention to detail, but the cobot is able to replicate this manual process. It can create complex components by joining simpler parts made from similar or dissimilar materials.
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A braze metal with a lower melt-point flows by capillary action into the space between the parts. The filler metal or alloy is heated to a temperature above 750ºC, which then forms an exceptionally strong, sealed and leak-proof joint.
The cobot process is clean and flux-free, the company added. It produces high strength components with excellent dimensional stability, which are free of voids or inclusions, resistant to shock and vibration and able to withstand high pressures.
Wallwork is also able to heat treat components at the same time, bringing further cost advantages to customers. With a dedicated pick-up and delivery fleet, speedy order turnaround is assured.
The use of robotics also makes 24-hour braze application a reality, further increasing service availability, with the company believing that successful deployment of the UR cobot is likely to spark further investment in the technology.
“We are looking forward to vacuum brazing the first batch of customer components with the cobot. This is scheduled for the beginning of October,” added Wallwork's Odhran Mcbride, who oversaw the technology's installation alongside colleague Chris Osborne.
